Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Special Aide to President-elect John Dramani Mahama, has responded to Cadman Mills, a prominent member of the NDC, following his concerns about the rise of sycophancy within the incoming Mahama administration.
In a detailed post on X, Cadman Mills had warned that early signs of sycophancy were becoming apparent, with some individuals and institutions excessively flattering Mahama and his family in an attempt to gain favor.
Mills specifically pointed to public calls for Mahama’s son, Sharaf Mahama, to be appointed Minister of Sports due to his personal interest in boxing, which he viewed as a form of sycophantic behavior.
“But a JDM-led NDC administration is not new to the Ghanaian political scene: It held office from 2013–2017. Ghanaians can hope that this administration will be ‘better’ than its first incarnation (because ‘we are not going back!’). But it is not a foregone conclusion. Already, signs of sycophancy are starting to rear their ugly heads,” Mills wrote.
In her response, Bawah Mogtari dismissed the calls for Sharaf Mahama to be appointed Sports Minister as mere expressions of excitement rather than sycophancy. She described the suggestions as ‘romanticism’ and emphasized that such comments should not be taken seriously.
“Similarly, calls by some youth closely associated with our Brother Sharaf Mahama, as well as others who worked tirelessly to secure this victory, are simply out of excitement. Certainly, statements made by a few young people should not be given too much importance. Sharaf, like any young person, is capable of serving our great nation at all levels. You know the President-elect well enough, and indeed your nephew Fiifi is one of Sharaf’s friends, and they are both fine young men,” she posted on X on December 29, 2024.
Bawah Mogtari further emphasized that the incoming Mahama administration is focused on the work at hand and that trivial matters like this should not distract from the serious task of governance.
“Please, Sir, we are looking forward to the inauguration, and certainly, His Excellency Mr. Mahama will be focusing more on the work at hand. He is not a man prone to sycophancy,” she concluded.
Regarding Mills’ concerns about the potential for constitutional amendments to extend Mahama’s presidency, Bawah Mogtari clarified that any discussions on reforms to presidential term limits had nothing to do with Mahama’s presidency and should not be linked to him.
Uncle, I don’t think you have any cause for alarm and I am sure that you in particular are a very senior party member and can certainly bring up such if for discussion.
1. We have all agreed that we need to pass the constitutional amendments as demanded by the good people of…
— Joyce Bawah Mogtari (@joyce_bawah) December 29, 2024
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